Our first home...

வீட்டை கட்டிப்பார் கல்யாணம் செய்துப்பார் – Build a house and get your kid married…goes the adage…

That’s how the traditional saying goes as these two were considered to be a big achievement in an average person’s lifetime. And to a larger extent, this is still valid even in today’s time with all the rising income, the costs have also spiraled exponentially. And it was our dream too, to possess a lovely house. Though I had purchased a house, a small 2nd hand 500 square feet two bedroom apartment, it was more an investment from a tax saving perspective and not the ideal kind of house where we would live in on a permanent basis. Initially our budget, if I recollect, was around 25 lakhs. We went around looking for houses all over the place, weekend after weekend including 2nd hand houses.

Those days, we used to see the advertisements in the newspaper – classified ads which used to come as a separate supplement in The Hindu – Saturday edition – Property Plus and went around looking for various properties that would suit our budget and liking. It went on for several months and either it was way beyond our budget or the house was not to our liking. And to top it all, month after month, the prices were sky rocketing. It’s always like this, whether you want to buy apparel, accessories, vehicle or house for that matter, you might have a certain budget and expectation. Yet, the liking for a particular product would always be for something that is beyond your budget as that’s what your heart aspires for. So in short, there is always a gap between what you want and what you can afford. It was quite frustrating as all our weekends were wasted on searching around the town for the right buy that would meet both our budget and wants. It was our sense of belief that the savings need to be invested wisely in a property rather than in any other mode. This was considered to be a safe bet with no greater volatility in terms of downward spiraling of prices. Prices would invariably increase and give you better returns in future given that it’s a huge investment.

What we also noticed was that every time there was a new launch, within a week’s time we would find out that everything was booked and sold out. We were wondering where on earth these people came from and who had so much of money to book at these prices. The talk around the town was that, all of this burgeoning demand came because of the IT sector and the increase in prices was attributed to the IT folks. It was these guys, who travelled abroad and returned with loads of green backs who had the wherewithal to invest and buy whatever that came their way. And the guys who were stranded in town had to scrape with their hard earned money, whatever that was left out after paying 30% + taxes to the Government. The NRI’s had higher disposable income, with no taxes, especially for people in the Middle East and could afford to buy bigger properties and at whatever prices that were offered. Also, the folks who worked in US, had also earned and saved better, despite the taxes, as the parity in terms of $ to INR, was always on the higher side. And we were left wondering, if at all, we would buy a decent house for ourselves where we could live the rest of our lives.

Also in terms of concept, there were quite a few big projects with many apartments and other facilities like club house, swimming pool, play area and other amenities. This was not much prevalent during those times and it also comes with cost of maintenance for such kind of buildings and conveniences. While we were keen to move into such kind of buildings, which came with a premium, this was not very much likened by our parents who felt that paying maintenance for an own property was meaningless. Community living had not taken off during those times and was not very much known to typical middle class families like us. Had we travelled or seen how the world lives in today’s world, there could have been better judgment. And we missed an opportunity to book a flat at Jains Housing which came up at Virugambakkam. And having learnt our lesson, we waited for the Ceebros project to kick off at Saligramam which never started until we left Kuwait. By then the prices also shot up through the roof.

It was in Year 2006, a change in life was in the offing. I got an opportunity to work for a big conglomerate in Kuwait and the salary was fabulous compared to what I was earning in India. Though, I was not in favor of going to the Middle East, despite my foreign ambitions, I was kind of cajoled to take up this offer. The rationale being to save money for a better tomorrow. I was apprehensive to leave my parents all alone in India. Who would take care of their health and other things, in my absence. I lived with them and despite the small house and other inconveniences, life with your parents is something to be cherished about. They were quite understanding and very supportive from day one, especially for Vidya who moved all the way from Mumbai to Chennai after marriage. Also, her parents were non-intrusive from the beginning and were quite helpful in terms of facilitating her homecoming within our family. That was the hallmark of her parents who knew very well how to maintain relationships in a truly amicable and wonderful manner. And it also helped that neither of our parents were egotistic and adjusting to each other to maintain a harmonious relationship. All of this helped in making a final decision to accept the offer and move to Kuwait.

It was at this juncture, someone suggested us to look at a property that was being built at Alwarthirunagar itself. There were around 8 flats in a one ground house being demolished and rebuilt by a builder, Anjaneya Constructions. Vidya and I went and saw the house. Though I liked it, she was not too keen for it. I left it at that and move on. There was a sense of urgency after that as she had to relocate to Kuwait within a month of me moving to Kuwait. And so with the consensus of our parents, she finally acceded to buying this house. Before she left for Kuwait, the agreement for sale was done, Power of attorney in favor of Dad was prepared to sign the necessary documents etc., was completed, with loan from LIC Housing. Thereafter a simple traditional aspect of moving into the new house by boiling milk instead of the grand Gruhapravesham (க்ருஹப்ரவேஷம்) was undertaken to celebrate the occasion. It was a simple family affair, where our parents, her sisters family and Attai was present to be at this auspicious and memorable event in our lives. That of owning a 3 bedroom house measuring about 1280 square feet. A sterling accomplishment in our life. I was not there to witness the lovely moments of happiness, yet, I was content that I could buy a house in the name of and for my beloved. That indeed was a dream come true.

#LifeinChennai